New Xbox is called Xbox One, airing live right now.

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What really gets me about this whole Xbone fiasco overall is that the execs in charge.... and pretty much everyone else there.... just dont seem to understand WHY people dont like the thing. They have to actually RESEARCH it to figure out why these obviously-terrible "features" are such an obviously bad idea.

And these people get PAID to do these jobs that they clearly arent even remotely qualified to do.


This really does just keep getting more and more hilarious.

Turn out the XBox One might not work if you're not in the right countries.

http://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/consoles/xbox-one-supported-in-21-countries-may-not-work-in-unsupported-regions-1159233#null

The features aren't terrible and for the vast majority of gamers, they will get a huge benefit. Elimination of load times, being able to play all of your games on any Xbox One anywhere, being able to let your friends play your games without having to lend them discs, system/game updates being able to automatically install when you're not using the console, etc etc. It's just more fun to complain about the restrictions without looking at the features they enable that would be impossible without them.

Right, I was having such a huge problem with load times, and needing a physical copy of an xbox game to play it. Now I've got nothing to worry about.

Unless the data are stored on flash memory, there will still be load times. The PS3 got a mandatory installation on many games, and there is still load times and making a complete installation of a game on PC don't eliminate load times either. As for being able to play all of your games on any Xbox One, you'll still have to go through a complete installation of the games for playing them. And for letting your friends borrow your games, you can only do that once by game and only after your friends have been at least 30 days on your friends list.

Finally, the point I brought earlier still stand...

But I guess you don't really care about that.

There will be a little bit of load time, but it's far, far less than reading off the disk. And it's not just access to your games, it's access to all of your saves and progress. Installing them is better than not having access to them because you didn't bring a disc with you. As to the friends issue, you will be able to select up to 10 users and they will have access to your entire library from their own consoles.

I could accept that if it wasnt for the fact that my PC (and all sorts of other PCs) already do this.... and dont have goofy issues. Prices tend to be DRAMATICALLY lower for high-quality games, there's a much better selection, there's rarely any restrictions, and if there are it's generally either an MMO, or based on where you buy it from (such as Steam). And even something like Steam MORE than makes up for the (extremely unintrusive) DRM by having those dramatic sales ALL THE FREAKING TIME.

Many similar things can be said about the PS4, the direct competitor to the Xbox One. Yet it does not have tons of nonsensical restrictions and will be able to be played ANYWHERE. Oh, I'm sure there will BE some online-only specific games for it, but that's the thing; it's game specific, not tied to the ENTIRE CONSOLE AND LITERALLY EVERYTHING ON IT. The Wii U can say the same things as well. So it's not just PCs.... it's the other competing consoles that are evidence that those... cough... "features".... are not needed.

And things like the anti-used game restriction? No. Just no. There's no justifying that one. It's like they're saying "We want as few people to buy this thing as conceivably possible". These restrictions actually make it IMPOSSIBLE for some consumers to own one of these. The online-only thing? Yeah; lots of players CANT go online. The numbers for that one are much larger than you might think. They use the 360, and other consoles, offline. And that's totally okay... or at least it was, until this thing appeared. Those people literally CANNOT buy into this one, regardless of the actual game choices involved. And beyond that, there's alot of gamers that RELY on the lower prices of used products because they simply cannot afford to do otherwise. I know many people in this exact situation. One particular friend of his only even owns the 360 or PS3 because they were outright GIVEN to him; for the games, he HAS to buy used stuff only because he just cant afford to spend more than that on these. And he aint the only one. Used games are important for a reason.

There will be features to the thing that could be useful for those that own one, this is true (and yes, I already knew of all of that stuff BEFORE I made my recent comment; I dont make such comments 'for teh lolz, hee hee GIGGLE". The comedy value of the situation is merely an added bonus; I would have commented even if there was literally nothing funny about any of it). But does that mean it's a good way of doing business? Does that mean that they're treating their customers and fanbase the right way? No. It doesnt. Quite the opposite. This way of doing things is what creates horrid companies like EA.

For one thing, I'm not comparing this to PC gaming, as I consider PC and console gaming two different animals. I'm comparing this pretty much only to the PS4. Secondly, with being able to buy all games digitally as well as disc based, there will be digital sales. They probably won't be as big as steam, but they will happen. You'll have the choice to buy the disc or digitally download a game anytime you want. This will be a first for consoles.


PS4 does not have the same restrictions because it cannot do the same things. You will not be able to play all of your games on another PS4 unless you bring all of your games with you. PS4 cloud services won't even be available at launch.


It's actually easy to justify as these features wouldn't be available without this restriction. If it could play all used games, then full game installs and playing without the disc would be impossible. Playing all of your games on any console at any time would be impossible. Microsoft is moving towards digital distribution. It works for PC gaming, it works for movies, it works for music. Yes, it can and will work for console gaming. It's the way of the future. There is nothing you or I or anyone can do to stop it. It's going to happen. Sony will eventually be fully onboard with digital distribution. It will be more convenient and less expensive. Kudos to Microsoft for taking the lead in moving console gaming in that direction. Your friend will be able to buy games digitally for cheaper. Think about it, on Steam you get a game for the true cost of the game, $5 - $30. On a console you have to pay for that PLUS any additional licenses for when you sell / trade / borrow / etc. If the developer / publisher can't get it on additional licenses (like steam), then they charge the first person more, hence the prices of $60.

As to the always online thing, Microsoft's current plan is basically you're screwed after 24 hours. Yeah, I know, it kind of sucks. I believe they will probably revisit the length of time period and/or find a different way to "call in" to ensure you haven't sold your license to Gamestop or something. Unfortunately, there is no plan YET. I'm hoping they change it, but who knows. Yes, if the internet goes out you're screwed for single player games. Again, that's the plan of record but I expect it to change after the E3 mess.

You know what? I don't care that I can play my game at a friend's house without the disk... I don't want all of my bandwidth going to cloud computing and storage...

I want my games... on my disks... if I go to a friend's house... THEN I TAKE MY DISKS... kind of like I do now.

The share with your family thing... that's AWESOME... until they announce only one person at a time can play because you have one license and then you can't access your game because someone in your family is playing it.

You said you weren't going to compare PC and console gaming, but you did... in the most important part. Digital distribution works... for some applications... But the console market has rarely been it. If you look at the model now... after a while, you can order it digitally, but no one is paying full price for a game that may not be available to play if the PS network or xbox live is down.

The bandwidth requirements on this thing are ridiculous... and frankly... Most people don't realize that their ISP has a data cap on their account... So eventually, it's going to be impossible for a lot of people to play...

All around... when you look worse than EA games... you've done something wrong

Did you feel the same way when Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming services started taking over movies on DVD? What about when iTunes and other digital stores started replacing music on CDs? What's the difference? When a new game comes out, would you rather have to go to Gamestop and pick it up, order it on Amazon and pay/wait for shipping or just download the thing for probably less money?


But somehow that's worse than actually lending a disc to your friend so he could borrow it? How do you access the game when you have the disc loaned out? Microsoft's way seems way better.


I don't get your point here. If a game is dependent on Xbox Live or PSN, it doesn't matter if you download it or buy the disc. It still won't work regardless.


If someone is downloading many, many games a month, then yes, that could be a problem. However, if a person can afford that, they can probably afford the over fee that the ISP charges. If you're getting that many games, you could always get the disc version as well. This is essentially a non-issue at all.


Granted, MS has a PR/marketing problem (nothing new there) but that doesn't change the benefits this console provides.

Xbox One benefits other platforms don't have :
-You can save 3 seconds to switch from playing games to tv.µ
-You can lend games without having to give the physical copy.

That's it. Everything else about the console SUCKS.

I think their PR problem is connected to the obnoxiousness of requiring Kinect/online check-in. There is literally no way to explain those two things in a context beneficial to the consumer. Why should internet be required for single player games?

Oh I'm not AGAINST digital distribution. Hell, I'm all for it. I dont buy physical discs unless I absolutely have to. Hell, I've got some 150-ish games on Steam, and I check it every day, knowing that ANYTHING could end up on sale. Hell, I got Rome: Total War AND it's expansion for ONE DOLLAR. ......ONE DOLLAR! That.... is amazing. So yeah.... I'm entirely a fan of digital distribution.

But here's the thing about that: Things like Steam? Those actually ARE digital distribution. What Microsoft is doing IS NOT.

If MS *really* wanted to encourage that, what they would do is make Xbox Live, and more specifically, purchasing games from Xbox Live, more attractive. Offer more deals. Make sure every retail game is available on there as well, AND give BENEFITS if you buy the digital version instead (but do NOT put NEGATIVES on the physical version, for the love of kittens!). Give discounts if you buy alot of stuff on there. Make the store more attractive and easy to use. Lower the prices. AKA, do lots of the things that Steam and others do. BUT. They need to do these things.... WITHOUT putting negatives onto the physical side. Leave the physical stuff totally alone.... change nothing..... but continue to make the DIGITAL stuff that much more attractive. Do this, and you WILL convert people over time.

Instead, what they're ACTUALLY doing is taking PHYSICAL distribution.... still using it.... but then placing upon it the restrictions that are meant for DIGITAL. This is a no-no, and a fantastically stupid idea. Like I said: Digital distribution is fine. My problem with this whole situation was never about that. My problem.... and the problem that a huge number of players have.... is that they are doing this crap with actual, physical retail copies. This is not digital distribution, and it's not them "taking the lead". It's them tripping over their own egos and making their playerbase stumble over their fallen, bloated form while Sony just keeps moving.

And what makes it worse, they're doing this with a playerbase that simply isnt used to any of this. Like the idea of installations. Sure, that's all well and good.... but you'd be surprised at how many gamers there are that DONT want to do this, even when they have lots of space. I've heard it time and time again from gamers in my area, as well as on the Net, that they haaaaaaaaaaaaate installing games that exist in disc form, because it takes up space; wether or not they actually NEED the space right now is utterly (and illogically) irrelevant. They dont want to do it. They want to stick a disc in, and just have it work. They dont wanna use the space, they dont wanna wait through the install, they dont wanna have to deal with that stuff. Stick it in, run game, done.... that's what many of them often want. *I* know the benefit of installations.... you also seem to know the benefit of installations. They can be a good thing. But they're just not easy for many consumers to understand, and you do not just shove things like that into the consumer's face, EXPECTING them to just automatically follow your way.

When you're trying to introduce a new idea to a consumer group, the number one thing you do NOT do is just forcibly punt them into a lake filled with piranhas by MAKING them do all of these things suddenly, not even offering the option. Particularly when you have direct competitors. Microsoft isnt offering them the option..... so Sony makes sure to REALLY EMPHASIZE that *they* are offering the option. Hell, the fact that Sony... or anyone, it doesnt even have to be them... can do all of these things WITHOUT the bloody stupid restrictions and crap is proof enough that Microsoft is going about it in totally the wrong way. The way to introduce things like this is to give the consumers options. Tell them... "ok. We have these ways of doing it. If you really like the old way, and would like to continue using it? Hey! That's totally okay! We'll totally accept that! But here we've also got this NEW way, and look at these shiny things I'm going to add to it.... you just switch on over if you ever feel like it, and hey, we'll add another bonus to it." That is the right sort of way to do it. You work WITH the consumer.... you dont work against them, and you dont try to force their hand. You make it as easy as possible for the consumer to use.... and thus BUY.... your product. And right there, is where MS is starting to fall pretty badly. And this stuff doesnt just apply to this industry, mind you. This sort of thing, these ideas related to consumers and selling and stuff, they're important ideas in ANY industry. MS, by now, should KNOW this. It should be practically burned into their minds, after all the time they've had as a company to learn it. Instead? They're going against alot of core ideas here.... and it's not working out very well for them. There's already been plenty of permanent converts, players that have now decided to save up and buy a PS4 instead of the new Xbox that they originally planned. And there will be more.


And note, as I say all of this, I'm NOT a Sony fan. I actually rather dislike all of the Big Three pretty much equally. If anything, I actually have more to do with Microsoft than the other two because of using their various products in the PC realm, and NORMALLY, I have nothing against them, other than that vague dislike that I tend to have towards damn near everything. So this isnt fanboyism speaking. But I do know alot about good and bad business practices, and the ways to properly make sales happen, and various related or similar topics. And I watch MS do these things, and I see the totally-expected angry fan reaction, and I keep wondering... HOW did these dolts NOT see that that was going to be the result, and WHY did they choose such an obvious mistake of a tactic to begin with?

It doesnt so much bug me even because it's "bad". *I* am not buying the horrid thing, or any of the consoles, after all. It bugs me because it's so bloody stupid.


....at least it's making for interesting conversation though, I'll give it that much

If I loaned it out...I KNEW that I had done so and as such...I am not expecting it to be in use. It does not seem better to be surprised by the fact that one of ten family members (anywhere in the world) may be using it at that time.


Really? go do some research at the number of times that games have been pulled from the PSN and people who paid for them were no longer able to play them, even though they were installed... it's happened to me a couple times.


This is where you are wrong. Cox, comcast and several of the other LARGE ISPs have instituted caps that are pathetic. one of the best ratios is Cox. On their highest end residential package, they have a cap of 400gb per month. Think about that. The games are on 50gb blu ray disks. If you look at THIS generation's games, most games are maxing out disc space on BOTH consoles. That's 8 games. Add in your standard internet usage, your family's netflix usage... and it goes away pretty fast. Citation: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-muc ... doe-136401

In my household (four adults, two special needs, two not.... all watching netflix for a couple hours a day), without any downloads (we actually organized this with neighbors, all download and gaming services were shared on a different connection for the month)... we used 1200 gb of bandwidth. After research into polls, we are pretty average for the modern info-connected family... The only reason we don't get shut off is because I have a business account which doesn't cap my internet.


At this point, since the tech is unproven, I don't see any benefits... only claims... and not one of those claims is practical in the USA since the US, internet wise, is a third world country.

http://ca.ign.com/articles/2013/06/12/g ... -microsoft

^ That's gonna leave a mark, I'm sure...

Wow, it seems there are still misunderstandings to Microsoft's policies. Here's a good article that explains everything:
http://www.wpcentral.com/lets-talk-xbox-drm

Article hightlights:
"Let’s talk about “step one” – buying content. You will be able to buy a video game on Xbox One, physically or virtually, on the same day. Want to jump onto the “no physical media” bandwagon – go for it! Still want to buy discs and display your favorite titles on your shelf – that is cool also.

Even if you choose to buy a physical copy of the game, once installed, no discs are required. All of the content you buy will be linked to the Xbox cloud in addition to being stored on your console. Scratch that game disc and afraid you will never be able to play it again – that was the past!"

"Now, let’s talk about reselling your disc games and trading with friends. You will still be able to trade in your games at participating retailers. In addition, Microsoft won’t be charging any fees to retailers, publishers, or consumers for enabling transfer of games. Enjoy playing that game and then head to a store to trade it in for something else – reselling is not dead.

The new collection of DRM rules and restrictions attempts to allow friends and family to enjoy each other’s content while ensuring developers get paid. I know a lot of you like to think of game publishers and developers as “the man”, but truth is – the team of programmers and artists working on your favorite titles are trying to put food on their own family’s tables.

Take a second and step back from your viewpoint, if you work on a video game for years and then one bloke pays $50 for it and shares it with half a dozen friends – is that really fair? Sure, it makes life easy for you, but aren’t you slapping your favorite developers in the face at the same time? Xbox One allows you to still play your game with your friends and even completely give it to your best friend later, while allowing developers and publishers to get paid for their content."